A worker cleans the seal of the United States of America after it was placed on the wall at the main entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Havana Aug. 14.

A woman holds a Cuban flag while standing with others on a sidewalk near the U.S. Embassy in Havana Aug. 14.

HAVANA - With Havana Harbor's bright blue waters and a trio
of vintage U.S. cars parked along the Malecon framing the
scene, Secretary of State John Kerry officially reopened the
U.S. Embassy in Cuba Aug. 14, marking the end of more than 54
years of fractured diplomatic relations.

Since the United States broke off diplomatic relations and
imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, among the world's
transitions have been the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall,
the end of the Vietnam War and restoration of full relations
with that former enemy, Kerry noted.

"For more than half a century, U.S.-Cuban relations have been
suspended in the amber of Cold War politics," Kerry said. "In
the interim, a whole generation of Americans and Cubans have
grown up and grown old. The United States has had 10 new
presidents. In a united Germany, the Berlin Wall is a fading
memory. Freed from Soviet shackles, Central Europe is again
home to thriving democracies."

He observed that the trade embargo still stands, blocking
most commercial relationships and tourism, but ending that is
up to Congress, "a step we strongly favor."

Among the invited guests for the brief ceremony on the plaza
outside the embassy was Havana's Cardinal Jaime Ortega
Alamino. In his remarks, Kerry repeated the acknowledgement
of both the U.S. and Cuban leaders that the intervention of
Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats had been crucial to
getting the two sides to resolve the long-standing diplomatic
freeze.

Among those he thanked in his speech Kerry included Pope
Francis and the Vatican "for promoting a new start in
relations between our two countries." Kerry was to have a
meeting with Cardinal Ortega following the ceremony.

Kerry, the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Cuba since
1945, was joined for the brief trip to Havana by a handful of
members of Congress, first- and second-generation Cuban
Americans who support the diplomatic thaw and the three
now-retired Marines who performed one of the last official
duties as the embassy was closed in 1961 - removing the U.S.
flag.

The three men ceremoniously handed three Marines in dress
uniforms a folded U.S. flag which they attached to the
flagpole and raised as the national anthem was played by a
Marine band.

Telling the story of President Eisenhower's decision to close
the embassy amid Cuba's post-revolution alliance with the
Soviet Union, Kerry described the last few U.S. citizens to
leave the building, the three Marine guards, "Larry Morris,
Mike East, and Jim Tracey. As they stepped outside, they were
confronted by a large crowd standing between them and the
flagpole. Tensions were high. No one felt safe. But the
Marines had a mission to accomplish. Slowly, the crowd parted
as they made their way to the flagpole, lowered 'Old Glory,'
folded it, and returned to the building. Larry, Mike and Jim
had done their jobs, but they also made a bold promise - that
one day they would return to Havana and raise the flag
again."

In the intervening years, the tall, 1950s-era building on
prime Havana real estate has served as the U.S. Interests
Section, while the limited unofficial diplomatic efforts
filtered through the Swiss government.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro
surprised the world in December by announcing that they had
agreed to pursue renewed diplomatic relations. Cuba reopened
its embassy in Washington - also a repurposed interests
section - in July.